


I Found You

by Alphawolfofred67



Category: The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: Brotherly Love, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, Episode: s07e17 I Went To The Woods, Gen, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 22:41:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6539446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alphawolfofred67/pseuds/Alphawolfofred67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon remembers a time when it snowed, just like now, that he felt fear for the first time. And now, he's trying to find Stefan. That same fear he felt then, he feels now. Well, Damon can't see a thing as he drives through the woods but he knows without a doubt he will always find Stefan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Found You

**Author's Note:**

> A/N~ MAJOR spoiler alert! Tag to- 7x17 I Went To The Woods! Read at your own risk lol Expect errors, mistakes, grammar etc. Will fix when I can. This episode, omg really got to me. Damon's worry for Stefan is beautiful. But so was the words they exchanged! So I wrote this! This is basically how Damon is feeling and everything. I made up the flashback though! And the ending words that I wish he would have said to Stefan -.- of well. Enjoy!
> 
> DISCLAIMER- Don't own The Vampire Diaries.
> 
>  
> 
> Title- I Found You
> 
> Episode Tag- Season 7 Episode 17- I Went To The Woods
> 
> Warning- Slight cussing, MAJOR spoiler alert! 
> 
> By- Alphawolfofred67 on Fanfiction.net which is my account for that site!

When they were younger, Damon was fifteen and Stefan was about ten, there was a time that Damon Salvatore, yes the selfish, cold hearted vampire who's only worry is for himself, had been terrified for the first time.

Damon was always fearless. He was never easy to scare and he always kept up the brave older brother facade around Stefan. He played it smoothly and always assured his brother that shall there be a time Stefan needed him, he would be there. He would not allow harm to the youngest Salvatore. He would not let it but, even promises can be hard to keep. That was made a fact one cold night. The night that found one Damon Salvatore for a loss of what to do and a moment of pure fear to grip his heart.

It was snowing like in the moment right now while Damon searched desperately for Stefan. Even if he would never admit it, he cared, more than he had in the beginning, for his brother. There was always a bond between them. It severed the night Stefan forced him to feed but it did not disappear. Anger, resentment, hate are all feelings that can make a lifetime of friendship be forgotten and somehow become buried deep within you. Even so, its there, somewhere and when mistakes become something you want to fix and you start to get attached again you are reminded of that bond.

Damon was reminded of that when he started hanging around Stefan again. Sure, at the start Damon only thought of one thing: To make his little brother suffer. A lifetime of misery. He kept good to his word but somehow all the time spent with Stefan had brought up his brotherly instincts. On several occasions Damon had found himself saving Stefan, coming to his aid. He had made remarks such as: If anyone's gonna kill you its gonna be me. It was half true.

Damon knew he could never kill Stefan. Of course they had their fair share of fights and running each other through with stakes at some point but neither had tried to kill the other. Though there was times he knew Stefan wanted to, being pushed to the very edge by Damon's 'Choices' and having enough of the consequences of his actions. Still, in the end Stefan made the choice of not killing him.

Damon loved Stefan. He was his brother. The one he protected throughout their lives until they became vampires.

And Stefan would not die. Not again.

The snow still fell and the memory from 160 years ago resurfaced.

[Flash]

It was a cold night, snow fell over the Salvatore home in spray of white. Covering everything it touched. The lights that led the walkway lit up as dusk settled over the land signaling it was close to dark.

Damon and Stefan were a little ways away from the house.

"Ah little brother, I do believe my snowman is bigger and better than yours." Said a cheerful Damon as he grabbed some snow and began patting it down on the snowman.

Stefan watched in awe as Damon worked his hands in a fast past, gathering snow, patting in into the snowman and running his hands in circles to even it out. He was also envious of how much bigger his brothers snowman was compared to his. He looked from one to the other with a pout before looking down at the snow, picking at it. "Its not fair. I wanted to win."

Damon stopped in his movements and stared at the top of Stefan's head where he had it bowed. A soft smile lit up his face and he sighed. He could never resist that tone Stefan used when he was upset or in this case, the fact Damon's snowman was much more superior than his.

"Now, now. How about we switch snowmen? Then yours will be better than mine!" Damon offered.

Stefan's head shot up and his eyes met Damon's. Big, green orbs met his blue ones and he couldn't stifle the laugh that threatened to come out of him at the look Stefan managed to pull off. It was half happy and other half kicked puppy.

"Really? I can have your snowman!?"

Damon nodded, amused at how happy Stefan was all of a sudden. "Yes brother but, you'll own me."

Stefan stood up and pounced on Damon, hugging him with all his might. "Thank you, Damon!"

Damon rolled his eyes but returned the embrace before pulling away. He wasn't all touchy feely like Stefan was. Though, he had to admit, hugs were nice.

"Okay now. We should go in. Father might get angry if we stay out all night. You know the rules." Damon patted Stefan's back.

Stefan pouted. "But, were not finished." He protested lightly.

Damon knew his brother wanted to finish the snowman but they needed to be inside. It was to dangerous at night. Their father had told him stories, told him about the truth of the dark, about what looks within the woods and trees. Things that Stefan had yet to know about. Since he was still so young, it was best to wait for the right time to tell him of the real monsters that haunted peoples dreams. The vampires.

"Stefan, I promise we will come back out tomorrow and finish them. For now father is waiting. We mustn't keep him so. You know how mad he gets." Damon reminded him of the temper their father had when they didn't listen to him.

Stefan blinked, realizing Damon was right and they should go in. "Okay. Promise?"

Damon smirked. "I promise."

Stefan's expression turned confident as he stuck out his pinky finger. "Pinky promise?"

Laughing, Damon stuck out his pinky and gripped Stefan's, shaking it like you would when giving a handshake. "Its a promise."

Stefan, satisfied with the promise, stood up with Damon and they walked towards the house. They were half way when Stefan suddenly stopped. When Damon looked at him he saw Stefan patting down his jacket pockets.

"What is it Stefan?" Damon asked, wondering why Stefan kept looking through his pockets.

"I forgot the watch!"

"The watch father got you for your birthday?" Damon asked with a raised brow.

Stefan nodded. "Be right back!" He turned around and ran back to the snowmen.

Damon shook his head. Stefan was so careless, so forgetful and he wondered how the kid managed to keep up with anything.

"Stefan-" he was about to holler for his brother when something out of the corner or of his eyes caught his attention, followed by a loud scream. One he would recognize anywhere.

When he looked back towards Stefan, what he saw had his heart come to a halt and he gasped. "Stefan!"

There, holding his brother up by the collar of his shirt, was someone wearing nothing but black. He was tall with heavy boots and black gloves. He wore a hood over his head of some kind. More anything, it was the way he carried himself. The way his body was stiff and straightened and how easily it was for him to hold Stefan up off the ground. Almost like the kid weighed nothing.

Anger and fear gripped Damon's chest at the sight of his brother being held up into thin air. Before he knew what he was doing, he was running full pace at the attacker. Not caring he was bigger and probably stronger than himself. No. The only thing going through the oldest Salvatore's mind was Stefan.

"Let go of my brother!" He shouted and rammed into the man with such a force that he dropped Stefan at the unexpected hit and staggered back.

Stefan fell to the ground on his side. His eyes wide and fearful as he looked at a very angry Damon. He has seen his brother mad before, but, this was different. The look on Damon's face was murderous, feral even. Even though the aggression was clear in Damon's eyes, he could see one emotion his brother never let show: Fear.

"Damon!" Stefan said his name in relief, immediately gaining Damon's attention.

Damon turned to him and squatted down next to him. "You okay?" He asked, worry coating his usual rough voice.

Stefan smiled up at him. Damon was always protecting him but this was a whole new side to him he never got to see. He was about to respond, reassure him that he was all right when laughter interrupted the touching moment, getting both Salvatore brothers to look at the man who was staring at them with a mixture of disbelief and was that amusment?

Damon's blood boiled. "What's so funny?" He asked in a low, deadly voice.

Stefan gazed up at his sibling with confusion in his orbs. Why did Damon sound like that?

Damon's hold tightened on Stefan as he shifted their positions to where he set securely and protectively in from of Stefan. A challenging look on his face as he dared the man to come closer.

The man smirked. "How cute. Sorry boy, but I always get what I want and what I want is something to eat."

Damon shivered at the thought. It was now clear who, what this man was. He was one of the very things their father warned him about. A blood sucker, a monster. To think that this thing wanted to bite his brother unnerved him, sent shivers down his spine. He wouldn't let it happen, he would make sure of it.

Stefan was unaware of them and he wanted to keep it that way as long as possible but if he didn't do something quick then it wouldn't matter what he wanted because Stefan? He would learn the truth when the vampire was done with him and went after Stefan next. He shivered again. There was no way it would put its fangs anywhere near his brother.

Stefan felt the tremors wracking Damon's body. He blinked, not knowing why Damon suddenly went tense. The words the man spoke running through his mind. The man was hungry? Surely he hadn't needed to attack him because he was hungry?

Damon glared at the vampire with loath. "Go somewhere else. I won't let you get near my brother!" He spat.

It only seemed to fuel the vampires amusement. He slowly walked towards them. Each step causing Damon to scoot him and Stefan back away. "What are you going to do?" He asked curiously.

Damon was quiet for a moment before he answered, "What I have to."

The vampire grinned, a nasty and evil, grin. He looked down at them as he got closer.

Stefan swallowed and closed his eyes, his grip tightening on Damon's arms.

Damon felt his brother grip his arms. He knew the kid was scared. He didn't know why to do. He didn't have a weapon and he surely couldn't stand even ground with a vampire. He would be immobilized in an instant but he wasn't going to let anything happen to Stefan. Not while he was around. "Stefan. Listen little brother. You need to run. Run and get father." He whispered back to Stefan.

Stefan opened his eyes and met Damon's. Silent understanding passed between them and though Stefan wanted to protest, Damon didn't give him a chance to say anything as he turned and pushed Stefan away from him. "Go!" He demanded.

Stefan blinked away tears. He wasn't sure what was happening or why there was a look of panic on Damon's features. He knew when Damon used that tone of voice it was best not to argue. He stood up and ran just like Damon said.

Damon faced the vampire. "You aren't welcome here." With that said, he also stood and charged the man.

The vampire shook his head. "Tsk tsk. A mere human can't beat me."

He grabbed Damon's arm and gripped it painfully causing a scream to tare its way from his throat. He slung him around and threw him back. Damon hit a nearby tree and slid to the ground. His vision became blurred and he shook his head in an effort to clear it. The impact was harsh but not hard enough to break anything, only make him a bit dizzy as he tried to stand.

"Damon! Help!"

Damon's heart came to a complete stop when the bells in his ears stopped ringing and was replaced with a shrieking scream. He instantly looked to where Stefan had ran to get their father only to see a horror being played out right in front of him. A scene he swore he would never let happen. "No! Stefan!"

The man had went straight to his brother once he threw him out of the way. Stefan was now in his grasp with the things fangs deep within his brothers neck. Drinking the life out of him and Stefan was looking straight at him with a look of confusion and fear.

Something broke inside Damon, like a cord snapping in two from being stretched to tight and beyond its capability. His whole body froze in shock as he watched the light start to leave Stefan's eyes, as the confusion of what was happening to him faded slowly as his muscles started to relax. The blood being taken from him causing his body to lose strength and face start to lose all signs of emotion. Damon was breathing hard, his chest restricted painfully and his eyes started to water. His little brother, his best friend, was being drained of his life right in front of him.

"Stop! Stefan!"

A shot rung out, what was silence save for the harsh breathing and pleading for the man to let his brother go coming from Damon, was now an echo from a guns discharge.

Damon watched as the mans teeth pulled out of Stefan as he gasped and staggered forward. A look of horror on his face before he let go of Stefan and fell to the ground but Damon's eyes were locked on his little brothers lifeless body.

"No. No, no, no." He repeated, forgetting the pain in his back from the impact of hitting the tree, and ran towards Stefan.

He fell to his knees in the snow and pulled Stefan's body in his arms. Fear causing his throat to swell and his mind to think; He's not dead, my little brothers not dead.

Stefan's face was pale, white just like the flakes that continued to fall around them. His skin cold, whether it be from the weather or-

No!

He wouldn't think that. He checked for a pulse, making sure his eyes didn't land on the hideous puncture wounds on Stefan's neck or the quickly drying blood running down his shirt. After several agonizing seconds, finally Damon felt the welcoming throb of a pulse under his finger tips. He let out choked sound out of relief and brushed a lock of hair out of Stefan's face.

"Don't scare me like that little brother."

"Damon!"

Damon flinched at the sudden voice calling his name. He looked behind him in time to see their father running towards them. Worry written all over his face. So he was the one that saved Stefan. That killed the vampire that threatened to take his brother from him.

A mixture of self-loathing and disappointment washed over him. He was right there yet he allowed the monster to get a hold of Stefan, to almost drain all the blood out of him. He closed his eyes and hugged Stefan to him. He would make a new promise. A better vow, that he would protect Stefan no matter what! He would never allow for something like what just happened, to happen again.

"Don't worry Stef. I won't let anything else hurt you!" He promised.

He didn't know when his father finally made it to their side or when Stefan was taken from his secure embrace. Nor did he see the disappointment in his own fathers eyes as he stared at Damon disapprovingly. All he could do was set there, the snow soaking into his clothing, and hope that Stefan would be alright.

[End Flash]

Damon glanced around, squinting his eyes to try and see through all the snow that refused to let up. He could hardly made out the trees as they glistened a bright white from being covered.

"Dammit Stefan." He muttered, pulling out his phone to dial the number the women had given him.

He wasn't sure if Stefan had the phone and would answer but it was his last option at that point. He put the phone to his ear and listening impatiently as it rung one, twice, and just continued to ring for a good six times until finally he heard an unfamiliar, shaky voice answer.

"Hello?"

Damon closed his eyes as relief flooded his body. Even if the voice did not belong to Stefan, it was his brother and he was alive. Not dead laying on the cold ground from being fatally wounded by the sword. Still, Stefan was no where near okay. He was in someone else's body and only had 48 hours to figure out how to get him in his original body before Stefan was gone for good. A thought Damon didn't allow his to wonder.

"Wow. Marty's voice is huskier than I imagined." He said, the phone now on speaker and held out in front of him, his eyes still roaming the forest around him.

There was a moment of silence before Stefan's, well not his, voice came over the receiver. "Damon?" He said his name with disbelief.

Damon knew exactly why he brother was shocked that it was him on the other end. He had let Stefan down when he most needed him and if Valerie was speaking the truth, Stefan knew before hand that Damon would.

"You sure picked a great night to get lost in the words Stefan." He stated softly.

"Yeah, well, at least im starting to warm up." Stefan's breathing was harsh between words, his voice shaking from the cold. "In case you haven't noticed, is a bad sign."

Damon blinked. He knew his brother was now human, least inside a human body so he was vulnerable, fragile. To make things worse, the body his brother was burrowing was already dead. Its a wonder he could feel anything but the supernatural can surprise you. In more ways than one. Stefan was on the verge of frost bite and freezing to death. It scared Damon more than he would admit.

"Listen to me. You need to move, okay?" He said it in a surprisingly soft tone that Stefan hadn't heard in ages. "Just pick a direction, start walking." Damon did well to hide the desperation in that one sentence.

"I can't. I can't even feel my legs..." Stefan answered unsure, defeated. "At this point, I can't tell if the tremors are from my withdrawal or from freezing to death."

It was a tone he never liked to hear in his brothers voice. Damon was truly on the verge of pleading with Stefan. "Stefan! Just get up. This is not how you are going to die Stefan Salvatore."

A laugh was heard on the other end. It wasn't hysterical, or insane but it definitely didn't set right with Damon. It was almost as if Stefan knew he was about to die. Like Damon was not going to come for him.

Well, you're wrong Stefan. Im out here right now searching for you and I will find you, he thought with confidence.

The conversation dragged on with Stefan admitting that he knew Damon would let him down, how the whole mess was his fault, how he bailed on him when he needed him most. Every word, every truth, Stefan spoke was like a slap across the face even though Damon knew how right Stefan was about everything. If he had only taken the mark for himself sooner he could have spared his brother so much pain. He could have prevented Stefan's current situation. Truth was Damon was a self centered ass who wanted it all and never thought about what Stefan wanted. It never mattered before. Not until that split second decision when he told the witch to transfer the mark, not when he was seconds to late and Stefan was dead.

"Even before that, you bailed on me. When you decided to live in a coffin than live up to your mistakes." Stefan's words hurt but could he really say they weren't justified?

He was only thinking of himself then. All he wanted was to be with Elena. That he could not live without her by his side. He never thought about how Stefan needed him. Nor did he care.

Yet he only made more excuses."I was trying to prevent myself from making mistakes, Stefan."

It was partly true. Everything around him burned. Nothing good ever lasted long so long as he was around and though part of him did decide to live in a coffin to prevent more disasters, the other part was for selfish reasons.

"Why Damon? Why is that so hard for you? And don't say Elena. It was 160 years before you met her! I got ripped from hell, thrown into a dead mans body and do you know what my first though was when I came to? That I needed to save those people on the bus. I didn't know who I was, where I was. It was my instinct."

Though his brother was tired, on the brink of death and struggling to breath, Damon heard no anger in Stefan's voice, no resentment in his words, just exhaustion and confusion. Simply because he did not understand why it was hard for Damon. Stefan spoke with a clear mind even though he was freezing to death. He did the one thing he always did. He saved people even though he was put into a situation where he had no clue was going on with him. Pure instinct, save who needs being saved, don't worry about anything else. Not even his own life at the time.

Damon always admired that about Stefan. His brother was not selfish. He wasn't one to think about himself and would always help others instead. Ever since they were kids, Stefan was the pure hearted one. He was carefree and happy. He offered a hand to anyone who needed it.

"Where is your instinct, Damon?"

That was the question, wasn't it?

"What does the voice in your head say!"

Damon had winced at that. Not knowing the answer himself, though right now the voice in his head was telling him to find Stefan. That, his family, his flesh and blood was about to freeze, to die. This time, he knew there was no second chances, that Stefan would actually be gone for good. It was something Damon never really gave thought to. Not until now. They both have died and came back but luck runs out and the next time there would be no returns.

Then, there was what Stefan actually wanted to hear from that question. The answer he already knew.

"You want me to say what we both already know?" He answered simply, matter of fact. "Im selfish. Im angry. Im impatient. And yes. Until I met Elena I wasn't interested in doing anything, for anybody."

It was the truth. Since becoming a vampire, feeling the betrayal as Stefan made him drink blood for the first time, and promising Stefan an eternity of misery, he was not the same Damon who made that promise on that snowy night to always protect Stefan. He was bitter. He felt a rage and he leaned on it. Used it to hurt his brother in so many ways. He became a vampire that played on peoples emotions for his own amusement. He forgot all about Stefan for so long.

There were times though that Damon would think about Stefan, how he was doing, was he still alive? Well, undead or whatever. He even checked up on him from time to time. He wasn't sure why.

Then seeing Stefan in mystic falls for the first time in 50 years, he felt that same hate for him he did the night Katherine was captured and they were shot to death. All he wanted was to make Stefan's life a living hell so why? Why did those feelings shift? Why did he start caring again? Why, was it that everytime Stefan got hurt or was in danger he sped to the rescue out of concern for him? He always told himself that it was because if anyone was going to kill Stefan, it was him. He had plenty of opportunities yet that time never came. Simply because they felt like brothers again.

"Not even for your brother?" Stefan stated, already knowing the truth.

"My brother included." Damon gripped the steering wheel, feeling so many emotions at once.

Now. Now he would do anything for Stefan. Has proved it on several occasions. Would do it for more to come. Why? Because they were brothers. Though that was forgotten for 160 years, it never disappeared and, dammit, he wasn't going to let Stefan die. Not again, not alone on a sucky stormy night when it was below five degrees.

"You mad?"

He didn't need to see Stefan to know he was nodding and gritting his teeth.

"Yes."

"You resent me?" He continued to ask.

"Yes." Stefan continue to answer.

Damon felt a smile tug at the ends of his lips. He needed to push Stefan to fight, to continue to live. He needed him to get up and walk.

"Good. Then get up and come kick my ass yourself!" He challenged, knowing it was exactly what Stefan needed to hear to start moving.

He heard Stefan's breathing pick up and a few grunts before it got quiet. Damon took a deep breath, waiting. He got concerned when Stefan still didn't respond.

"Stefan?" There was a slight panic in the way he said his name.

Another minute of silence and Damon swore if Stefan didn't answer he was going to have a full blown panic attack. Not the dramatic kind of course, he wasn't a sissy. He was glad in that moment Stefan couldn't see the pure relief that washed over his usual unreadable features when Stefan did say something.

"Im walking." Stefan said, making Damon Sigh. "You want to know why this is so hard?

Damon continued to glance around. Because Marty haman is a total train wreck." He said it more of a statement than question.

"No...because eventually, im not going to be able to go on and when that happens I don't believe you'll be there."

Damon shut his eyes as Stefan said those words. He understood why Stefan felt that way. After what happened 24 hours earlier, he had a reason to think Damon wouldn't be there. Still, the fact his brother really believed Damon hated him so much that he would let him die was hard to hear. Before, he would agree. Back when their relationship meant so little. He probably wouldn't be out there, right now, in freezing whether and snow searching for Stefan. He wouldn't deny that but right now, in this moment, he was going to prove Stefan wrong and it was because he cared that he kept Stefan on the phone, kept him talking. Yet it was Stefan who started a conversation about when they used to play hide n seek.

"Why do you bring up hide n seek?" He questioned Stefan curiously.

Stefan's reply was short, sure and determined.

"Because you won't find me."

Those simple words caused a frown to deepen his expression and only fueled his efforts to find him. He didn't have to search far, because within the time it took Stefan to say those words, drop his phone in the snow, and pass out, Damon had already found him and with gentle hands had picked him up and placed him in the Car.

All the while Damon had only one thought going through his mind.

Looks like you were wrong. I found you, Stefan and I always will brother.


End file.
